2013-01-17 - ABB’s energy storage technology, developed in Napier, New Zealand, is helping support Prudent Energy, a leading green energy company, with their overall battery energy storage solution being installed to strengthen grid reliability on Sumba, a small island in eastern Indonesia.

ABB has supplied Prudent Energy with a 400 kW PCS100 Energy Storage System (ESS) to support Prudent’s overall battery energy storage solution which is providing real and reactive power to Sumba, which has suffered from poor power supply.

This project is an important milestone for ABB, as it is the first project that incorporates Prudent’s VRB (Vanadium Redox Battery) “flow battery” technology with the PCS100 ESS. The PCS100 ESS works by charging the VRB battery voltage up to the designed range, helping regulate the power flow by discharging power to the grid during unstable events, such as extreme weather conditions. Along with the PCS100 ESS, ABB supplied a circuit breaker, transformer, DCS800 drive and a PLC (programmable logic controller).

The installed product

Using PCS100 ESS, the grid can support power to the island when the main grid is interrupted. This will in turn generate a smooth output of power, increasing the renewable accommodation capability. The PCS100 ESS battery solution can help energy storage devices, such as batteries, achieve stable storage and release of electrical energy through frequency modulation and voltage regulation. For a power system, PCS100 ESS is just like a conventional synchronous generator, featuring power electronics and advanced control technologies. Its inertial characteristics depend on the internal control system, which is aligned to the grid frequency and its change, and energy conversion is recognised on this basis.

The PCS100 ESS is suitable for this application as it is grid compliant and provides the technology needed for smart grids.

Prudent Energy
Prudent Energy, is the designer, manufacturer, and integrator of the patented Vanadium Redox Battery Energy Storage System (VRB-ESS®) – a large-capacity energy storage system delivering high performance with low operating costs. Founded in 2007, the Prudent Energy group of companies maintains corporate offices in Bethesda, Maryland, and Beijing, China, with research, development, and assembly facilities in the United States, Canada and Asia.

Sumba Island
Sumba Island is located in eastern Indonesia and was originally known as Sandalwood Island (as it exported sandalwood). Sumba Island is home to over 600,000 people and is one of the Lesser Sunda Islands, and is in the province of East Nusa Tenggara. The island has only one resort, Nihiwatu Resort, which is one of the world's five best eco-hotels.